Friday, March 1, 2019

Gold Award Spotlight: Abuzz for Honey Bees

Girl Scout Savannah has earned the Gold
Award, the highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouts.

For her project, “Abuzz for Honey Bees (AHB),” Savannah set
out to spread awareness about the importance of honey bee conservation. She
targeted the environmental issue of the declining population of honey bees by
focusing on the education of teachers, parents, and elementary school students.
Savannah developed a curriculum that included lesson plans, games, a website,
and a pollinator garden for an interactive experience. Her curriculum was
presented to local and national organizations to widen the scope of AHB.

Despite the obstacles she experienced while
completing her project, Savannah was able to overcome them with ease. By using
her resources wisely, she successfully shared her curriculum with a teacher at
Norfolk Christian School.
Savannah also learned to be fearless when speaking out about issues that were
important to her. Her project taught her that collaboration was key to increasing
a project’s impact.

“My project was
successful because I reached out to several organizations that agreed to share
my Abuzz for Honey Bees curriculum,” she said. “Through contacting these
organizations and giving presentations, I became a better communicator. I
learned how to write professional emails, give presentations with minimal ‘ums’
and ‘likes,’ and to advocate for my cause.”

The Abuzz for Honey Bees’ project will be sustained
beyond Savannah’s involvement through the organizations that AHB has partnered
with. Second grade teachers at Norfolk Christian Lower School agreed to
continue teaching AHB lessons in the coming years and to maintain the
pollinator garden.

Savannah was recognized in April 2019 by Volunteer Hampton Roads at the 44th Annual Hampton Roads Volunteer Achievement Awards dinner. She was given the award of Outstanding Youth Volunteer for the work she did in the community to earn her Gold Award.

What We DoWe serve nearly 10,000 girls throughout southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. With the guidance of nearly 5,000 dedicated and trained volunteers, girls discover the fun, friendship, and power of girls together.